An Ottawa event featuring right-wing German politician Christine Anderson and Dutch political commentator Eva Vlaardingerbroek went ahead despite multiple cancellation attempts from left-wing activists – and a last-minute venue change.
Hundreds showed up to the event, part of Anderson’s “Make It our Business” tour, organized by Canadian organization Trinity Productions.
The event was initially supposed to take place at the Ottawa Conference and Event Centre, but the venue cancelled at the last minute amid pressure from left-wing activists – who deemed the speakers “hateful.”
“Today, it has been brought to our attention that your event features two speakers, Christine Anderson and Eva Vlaardingerbroek, commonly associated with hate speech and beliefs that are antithetical and completely unwelcome to (the Ottawa Conference and Event Centre), its management, employees and others who use our Conference and Event Centre,” reads a Nov. 28 email sent by catering director Claudio Dinardo.
While left-wing activists initially celebrated the event’s cancellation on social media, the organizers quickly found another venue.
“Unfortunately for them, it did not work, their plans were foiled.” said tour organizer Bethan Nodwell in an interview with True North. “It was literally within an hour or two that we had locked down a second venue.”
Left wing activists attempted to get the second venue, the Preston Event Centre, to also cancel – but were unsuccessful in doing so.
“They did send all their henchmen to call, harass, badger, intimidate (the second) venue,” said Nodwell. “(But) the owners from this venue said, ‘we will not bend the knee to the woke,’ and that was just amazing.”
Anderson also gave a shout-out to the venue’s owner in her speech, which was followed by the crowd giving him a standing ovation.
Another one of the tour’s organizers, Stacey Kauder, said the cancel culture attempts resulted in a last-minute increase in ticket sales.
“We sold more tickets in the last 24 hours than we did in the weeks leading up to the tour,” she said.
“The freedom movement can’t be beaten, for raising money and rallying around people when they need a rally,” Nodwell added.
Anderson, who has visited Canada three times this year, is famous for giving a speech in 2022 in which she told Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to “please spare us your presence” during his visit to the European Parliament. She has however also become controversial for, among other things, her views on Islam.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre denounced Anderson’s views as “vile” after she met with three Conservative MPs as part of a previous tour in February.
Vlaardingerbroek became known for speaking up for Dutch farmers when the previous Mark Rutte government tried to expropriate 3,000 farms to meet climate goals. She has appeared on several television shows internationally, including Tucker Carlson’s and Mark Steyn’s.
In addition to Anderson and Vlaardingerbroek, the Ottawa event featured speeches from Alymer, Ont. pastor Henry Hildebrandt, former university professor Denis Rancourt, columnist David Krayden, Pickering, Ont. councillor Lisa Robinson, veteran Eddie Cornell, commentators Maggie Hope Braun and Natasha Graham, student activist Josh Alexander, and comedian John Stetch, appearing as Justin Trudeau.
